Vesey Makes Early Claim in Contract Effort I FEATURE

NEWARK, NJ - Jimmy Vesey knows the situation.
Vesey, 28, signed a player-tryout contract late in the summer to attend Devils training camp in the hopes of earning a contract with the team.
On Thursday, the night before the team's first on-ice practice, the totality of the situation was hitting Vesey, who has arrived at a crossroads in his hockey career.
"To be honest, before the first practice I had some nerves. I didn't get to bed for a while (the night before)," he admitted. "I don't have a contract so I'm playing for my life. It was the first day on the ice, first official day of practice. I wanted to get off to a good start."
Apparently, the lack of sleep though didn't affect his on-ice performance though. Vesey scored a goal and added two assists in the Devils' Saturday afternoon scrimmage to help his squad, Team A, claim a 4-2 victory against Team B at Prudential Center.
"Anytime you play in a game it's nice to get on the scoresheet," Vesey said following the scrimmage. "I thought it was a good day, and a good day for our line.
"The first game action for everyone here. I really enjoyed playing with (Michael McLeod) and Tyce (Thompson). I thought we worked well together."

It was an unusual summer for Vesey. The 2016 Hobey Baker recipient for best college hockey player (Harvard) had an electric start to his NHL career by posting 16 goals as a rookie in 2016-17 with the New York Rangers. He followed that with 17 goals in each of the next two seasons.
But his goal scoring in the two subsequent seasons dropped to nine (Buffalo, 2019-20) and just five last season (Toronto/Vancouver, 2020-21). Vesey reflected on what was a tumultuous two years.
"Since I left New York, I feel like I've been lost in the shuffle so to speak," he said. "I don't think I've played for a head coach that was necessarily too familiar with me.
"It's a tough situation when you're not producing the way you want to. It sucks to be honest being in limbo everyday going to the rink. Am I in the lineup? Am I out of the lineup? Am I'm playing five minutes or am I going to play 12? Tough situation."
Vesey entered the 2021 summer without a contract. June became July became August became September. As the NHL season inched closer and closer to starting, he worried about his future in the league. That was, at least, until signing with New Jersey on Sept. 15, the cusp of training camp.
"I tried to remain as calm as I could and just work hard," he said of the offseason. "Obviously, the stress builds up down the stretch, not knowing where you're going to end up. I just tried to put my head down, put in the work. I'm happy to be here and really grateful as well. I'm hoping this works out."
Performances like the one he put on Saturday will go a long way in making it work out. He had a noticeable effort that certainly caught the eye of the head coach.
"He took advantage of his offensive opportunities today. He had a really good practice (Friday). That's really all you ask of a player like that that comes into camp," said Devils head coach Lindy Ruff, who coached Vesey in New York as an assistant coach. "You're going to have to show it. You're going to have to be noticed. I thought today was a day he was noticed for a lot of good things."

Ironically, it was Ruff who set Vesey on a course that could salvage his NHL career. In their final season together with the Rangers in 2018-19, Ruff put Vesey on the penalty killing unit or the first time in his career. Over the next three years, the 6-foot-3, 202-pound forward has excelled in the duty. And it was his acumen to kill that partly interested the Devils in bringing him into their camp, as well his other attributes.
"He's got lots of NHL experience. Physically he's a strong player," Ruff said. "Sound positionally. He tried to play the game the right way (Saturday). He didn't make any big mistakes. I thought he managed the puck well. His energy was good."
Ruff told the media Wednesday that Vesey may have to adapt his game into a bottom-6 role, meaning he'd need to focus more on his defensive responsibilities and PK work than on being flashy and scoring. However, the team certainly won't be upset if he can still flash those hands - as he did going bardown on his tally and setting up two other scores.
"A player that has a scrimmage like that on his first day and does well, it builds confidence," Ruff said. "We could see even better things. We all know we want him to adapt his game, but if he's going to offensively produce and put up numbers, that's a big bonus for us."
Although Vesey is happy with his performance Saturday, he's been around the league long enough, five years, to know that he needs to keep making an impression in order to earn a contract from New Jersey.
"When I first entered the league people always asked me, 'how's the physical side of 82 games?'" Vesey said. "And I always told them the harder side is the mental side. Keeping your focus and keeping a positive mindset for such a long season, it's got its ups and downs. The highs can be super high and the lows can be super low.
"I'm older so I understand that now. I'm just trying to make the team and help these guys out."
Vesey should sleep well tonight.